Blog or not

Over the past weeks this blog has helped me think out loud. I have been able to contemplate and put deeper thought into my views on education and the incredible growth that the education profession has seen. Blogging has allowed me to share my thoughts and a few of my ideas in a way that I can go back and look at them later. In all honesty I am not a big fan of blogging. I do not like that people spend valuable time in front of a computer recording every and any idea that goes through their head. I think there are so many other things that would be better to spend free time on, but I guess if its what others like they can do them. In the educational setting blogs do hold a good place. They are a platform were ideas and philosophies can be shared. I think that in the future I will look at educational blogs so that I can grow and get new ideas on how to make me a better teacher because the information that can be presented can be very useful. But there is a good chance that I never willingly write a blog again. I do not like to use my time posting my ideas, I would much rather share and talk in person. I think that blogging in an educational way is a great thing, but it is not for me. Although they can be good for sum and there can be some very good information being presented I a not a fan.

No Idea

            Educational change is always happening and probably will continue to happen as long as the earth is a thing. It seems like everyone has an idea on how to improve education and that if we do this one thing different we will have the most effective educational system out there. But in my eyes some of the educational ideas and acts that have been passes as of late are full of questions and possible consequences. The “No Child Left Behind” act was full of questions and unforeseen consequences that the American school system is now facing, and the “Common Core State Standards” act is now under an increased light of questioning. NCLB in a nut shell was an idea to get all students proficient on tests by the year 2014. That did not work, student continued to struggle and the proficiency rate did not do much. Now we have common core. An idea that keeps all schools on a very similar schedule with similar objectives and tests. An idea that in theory is good. It makes all schools similar so that if students move they will not fall far behind, it gives teachers direct outcomes that are desired and will be tested. But the downside is the teacher has no freedom to teach, the curriculum is scripted and in a way all that is happening is teaching/learning to take a standardized test. When I think about the effect that both have and had on education it make me wonder, if these ideas that are failing or are strongly opposed were once thought of as the way to make American education top dog failed the way they did, what is the correct thing to do? Do we keep going the way it is and teach to a test, or do we teach so that the students are effective members of society. I have no idea what is best. But if we keep going with ideas that fail we are not doing what is best for the students.

Doing what is best?

Education continues what can only be looked at as endless progression and change. From the change giving all the rights that they deserve to now a question of are we doing what is correct for business and education. The idea that education plays a big role in business makes sense. To be successful in business you need to be smart, but the idea that business should have a say in schools is difficult for me to understand. As the topic is discussed the argument of “we need to prepare the students for the market” comes up quite a bit. But when I here that what market are we preparing the student for? I do not think that we know the market we are in now and how to prepare for it let alone the market that the students are going to be active in. How do we prepare students for something that is unknown? If we teach to what we think will happen are we just wasting time shaping to a shape that may not be needed? I struggle to like the idea of preparing students for something that we do not know. I struggle to believe that business leaders know what students kneed not the teachers. I believe that education is needed by all. Education is in place to teach the students the skill they need to be productive members of society. Education should be judged on the growth of the student in all subjects. Testing is to check were the student is at and show were they have come from. I understand that the main goal of business is to grow and be competitive in the global market but I fear that in preparing students only with that goal in mind we are preparing for nothing because we do not know what the future will hold.